The Hudson River Rivalry is back.
And honestly, it kind of came at a bad time. The New York Rangers are coming off of a 3-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes and currently have a record of 16-16-1. Let's compare this to the New Jersey Devils — the Devils are in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 22-11-3.
Clearly, the Rangers will be facing an uphill battle at the Prudential Center.
All of this aside, Jack Hughes is obviously the opposing team's player to watch ahead of the Dec. 23 matinee matchup.
Jack Hughes
Superstar center and fan-favorite New Jersey player Jack Hughes is the team's second-leading offensive producer, behind teammate Jesper Bratt. Hughes has a whopping 42 points across 13 goals and 29 assists (+11).
At only 23 years old, the former No. 1 pick has played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2022 and 2023. His younger brother, Luke, was selected with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Jack and Luke played their first NHL game together against the Sabres on April 11, 2023. Their older brother Quinn is currently the captain of the Vancouver Canucks.
Jack became the first Devils player with 40 goals in a season since Zach Parise scored 45 in 2008-09 in a 5-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on March 25, 2023. The Orlando, Florida, native holds NTDP records for assists (154) and points (228) in 110 games over two seasons.
He scored his first NHL hat trick in a 5-1 victory against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 26, 2022, which was only New Jersey's 13th natural hat trick in franchise history at the time.
How to Tune In
Aside from all of this, the stakes are simply just higher when the Rangers and Devils face off due to the popularity of the Hudson River Rivalry.
The Monday matinee has puck drop slated for 1 p.m. EST, and the game will be available for livestreaming via ESPN+.